IT's a sunny summer evening in August...
The heat of the day is fading away, dinner is past and we're coasting till bedtime. We head outside and guide little feet to the flower patch. The boys have watched the flowers (a mix of zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers and marigolds) grow from seed and get as excited as I do about new blooms! We haven't had rain in a day or two, so the flowers need a drink and they are happy to help with anything involving a hose, so they quickly set to "work." I pause to get some photos of an obliging Ephraim before they're soaked from head to toe...
And then the real fun begins... aka the fight for the hose. Thomas was content with the watering can. However Ephraim (who, granted, had been up all day without a nap and was now at bedtime) was not content to let him fill it. Ah, siblings. But all in all they had a great evening. Memories were made and captured, and I got my mind off of other things for a bit.
Which brings me to the other things: Thomas was recently diagnosed with Lyme's disease. Thankfully it was caught exceptionally early thanks to a clinic doctor who heard our concern and took it seriously, despite not having a rash and it being too early to test at the time (he tested positive weeks later). He finishes up a second round of antibiotics today, and he's doing well with that!
Lyme's Disease aside, anyone who knows Thomas well at this point knows that he is prone to stomach upsets. We've tried avoiding dairy, paying attention to what he eats and having him on probiotics and can't find a link between circumstances and upsets.
They're becoming more frequent and intense, and his doctor as well as the ER doctor he recently saw are referring him to see a pediatric specialist. He's okay most of the time. But when he's not–and no one knows why or when that will be–he's very much *not* okay. His recent episode was especially painful and severe, landing him in the ER, which yielded no answers and only a prescription for nausea. It broke our hearts to be unable to help and clueless as to the cause. Right now, he's doing good and we're grateful for that! So right now we wait for appointments and answers and enjoy the good days. Thankfully there are still many and he's had a great summer overall.
These photos are very minimally edited. At some point I may revisit them and be my usual nitpicky self, but not today. The spaghetti sauce stains and crooked horizon lines can stay!
These are my therapy and just some lighthearted photos of my littles having the everyday time of their lives. Like every child should.
Enjoy some sweet summer sunshine and smiles (and one mad face for good measure)!
